The Love Dare

Recently, I have been noticing how much my mood and the mood of our home affects my mothering. If I am stressed, I tend to be short with my children. If I am calm and happy, I tend to enjoy my children more. The same goes for the state of my marriage relationship. If things are tense between my husband and I, the kids pick up on that tension. When we openly show each other love and affection, the children pick up on that too. I want the love, friendship and understanding between my husband and I to rub off on our children. Building a strong loving marriage lays the foundation for a loving home....and allows me to truly show love to my children.

Following are my top three 'must reads' to help build and keep a strong loving marriage.

*The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman, teaches you how to truly show love to your spouse, in the specific language that touches them best. This book has has been around for a while, so if you have not read this, you have probably at least heard of it and it is worth your time if you are not sure 'exactly' how to speak your spouse's language!!

*The Love Dare, by Stephen & Alex Kendrick, challenges husbands and wives to understand and practice unconditional love for one another with specific tasks and concepts ('dares') for 40 consecutive days. Whether your marriage is struggling or solid this book will teach the keys for expanding your love and intimacy with one another. I admit that I have not done all 40 days of this book yet, but just completing the first two brought me closer to my husband and we were both happier (even though he did not know I was trying it out). This book teaches you to fireproof your marriage!!

*For Women Only: What you Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men, by Shaunti Feldham, is a short, fun read with depths of insight into a man's mind. This book really helped me begin to understand how important certain things, like respect, are to my husband. I learned how to communicate and relate in a better way after reading this.

Challenge yourself to read one of these books and spend some time focusing again on loving your spouse. It is an effort that will be rewarded!!